Snail Wet House in Los Angeles 洛杉矶蜗牛生态屋

Snail wet house is an innovative product that offers a unique opportunity X for people in Los Angeles to observe snails in their natural habitat. By providing a safe and comfortable space for snails to live, the wet house allows people to witness the fascinating behaviors of these creatures up close.

The wet house works by storing water through the flesh of the loofah when it rains or when the air is humid. The snail mucus then helps to lock in the water, creating a moist environment that snails need to survive. In times of drought, the wet house drains excess water to the outside through the loofah flesh, ensuring to maintain ground soil moisture.

It's a canned ecological box with multiple layers: the first layer is constructed by black mustard, an invasive grass in Los Angeles, but it has the ability to support structure and create shades. The second layer is loofah, which is capable of supporting and absorbing water. The bottom layer is moss. It can absorb water and provide friction for snails to climb up and down. These materials together can drain accumulated water from top to bottom while also absorbing some water to make the entire snail's living environment humid.

We have placed these snail wet houses along the Elysian Park hiking trail all the way to the stadium, creating a unique experience for nature enthusiasts and curious individuals alike. Observing snails in their natural habitat can be an educational and entertaining experience for people of all ages.It not only help people learn about the behavior of snails, but also gain a greater appreciation for the role they play in the ecosystem.

Research References

Land gastropods (snails & slugs) of Los Angeles County. Pdf

ELYSIAN PARK NATURAL RESOURCES PLANT LIST.pdf

Cheng, H.; Feng, M.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, H.; Wang, H.; Xu, J.; Zhang, M. Effects of Warming on Aquatic Snails and Periphyton in Freshwater Ecosystems with and without Predation by Common Carp. Water 2023, 15, 153. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15010153 Adekiya TA, Aruleba RT, Oyinloye BE, Okosun KO, Kappo AP. The Effect of Climate Change and the Snail-Schistosome Cycle in Transmission and Bio-Control of Schistosomiasis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health.

Kerstes, N.A.G., Breeschoten, T., Kalkman, V.J. et al. Snail shell colour evolution in urban heat islands detected via citizen science. Commun Biol 2, 264 (2019).

Schweizer, M., Triebskorn, R., & Heinz‐R. Köhler. (2019). Snails in the sun: Strategies of terrestrial gastropods to cope with hot and dry conditions.

Xiang H, Zhang Y, Atkinson D, Sekar R. Combined effects of water temperature, grazing snails and terrestrial herbivores on leaf decomposition in urban streams. PeerJ. 2019 Oct 8

Phillips, G.; Willby, N.; Moss, B. Submerged macrophyte decline in shallow lakes: What have we learnt in the last forty years? Aquat. Bot. 2016, 135, 37–45.

Guo, Y.; Zhang, P.; Chen, J.; Xu, J. Freshwater snail and shrimp differentially affect water turbidity and benthic primary producers. Water Biol. Secur. 2021, 1, 100004.

Covich, A.P.; Palmer, M.A.; Crowl, T.A. The role of benthic invertebrate species in freshwater ecosystems—Zoobenthic species influence energy flows and nutrient cycling. Bioscience 1999, 49, 119–127.

Zheng, Z.; Lv, J.; Lu, K.; Jin, C.; Zhu, J.; Liu, X. The Impact of Snail (Bellamya aeruginosa) Bioturbation on Sediment Characteristics and Organic Carbon Fluxes in an Eutrophic Pond. Clean-Soil Air Water 2011, 39, 566–571.

Johnson, P.D.; Bogan, A.E.; Brown, K.M.; Burkhead, N.M.; Cordeiro, J.R.; Garner, J.T.; Hartfield, P.D.; Lepitzki, D.A.W.; Mackie, G.L.; Pip, E.; et al. Conservation Status of Freshwater Gastropods of Canada and the United States. Fisheries 2013, 38, 247–282

Bohm, M.; Dewhurst-Richman, N.I.; Seddon, M.; Ledger, S.E.H.; Albrecht, C.; Allen, D.; Bogan, A.E.; Cordeiro, J.; Cummings, K.S.; Cuttelod, A.; et al. The conservation status of the world’s freshwater molluscs. Hydrobiologia 2021, 848, 3231–3254.